The Detroit Lions are threatening to play another game this Sunday, this time against a 1-3 Arizona Cardinals squad in Week 5.
It'll be the Lions' last game before their early bye week, and ahead of two critical NFC North games in Week 7 and 8: against the Green Bay Packers, and the Minnesota Vikings.
It feels a little exaggerative to call this Cardinals game a "must win," but, it is. Going into the bye week 2-3 after dropping a game to a losing franchise would be devastating to the Lions' confidence going forward, and another indictment of the poor roster construction overseen by general manager Brad Holmes.
A win would be a salve.
Ahead of this game, there are five burning questions left to be answered by the Lions.
- 1. Is there anyone worth salvaging from the Lions' secondary?
- 2. Can the Lions' run defense look good amid big injury question mark over Jeremiyah Love?
- 3. Can Jared Goff rely on Jameson Williams down field, or is that Isaac TeSlaa's territory now?
- 4. Will the Lions' run-blocking improve ahead of Cade Mays' return?
- 5. Should we be worried about Detroit's return unit?
1. Is there anyone worth salvaging from the Lions' secondary?
The Lions need to keep experimenting with their secondary because, well, they have no other choice. D.J. Reed has been a zero in the lineup despite being the teams' only true starting cornerback, while options like Rock Ya-Sin, Roger McCreary, and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. have been hit or miss throughout the first four games of the year.
The team is planning on deploying Keith Abney II and Jalen Mills at a higher clip in Week 5, which is both good and bad: it's good that they're willing to take multiple looks at lesser-thought of personnel on the roster, but bad that they just can't find a consistent roster to deploy so far.
Abney's success would be such a huge boost to the Lions' secondary, with the rookie being such a great nickel back in college. He could help Detroit avoid needing to shell out too much for multiple serviceable cornerbacks. This game can answer some questions about their roster.
2. Can the Lions' run defense look good amid big injury question mark over Jeremiyah Love?
Love has been limited in practice this week, as the rookie running back has been dealing with multiple ankle injuries this season. Love also told reporters after Week 4 that he was "tired" and open to having Tyler Allgeier and Bam Knight take more snaps than him if he can't remain productive due to fatigue. However, Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur told reporters ahead of Week 5 that he doesn't anticipate Love's current ankle injury woes to impact his usage.
Detroit has struggled to contain the run this year, due in major part to the Lions' linebacker room taking a big step back from their 2025 season. Jack Campbell, specifically, must be a lot more impactful on this front to help their defense out amid an abysmal start. They are 19th in run stop win rate this year, a step up from their 29th-ranked RSWR, but not good enough.
3. Can Jared Goff rely on Jameson Williams down field, or is that Isaac TeSlaa's territory now?
Williams has, once again, been dealing with drops. The oft-explosive wide receiver still has 229 receiving yards on the year, but it could be a lot more without his league-leading five drops on the season so far. It's funny that he's so speedy, and so athletic, but seems to be a better slot receiver than a downfield target.
Unfortunately, that just doesn't fit with the Lions' roster needs, and Williams needs to improve in this area, full stop. He knows it, too.
"Just catching the ball, bringing it in. It's nothing major. It's just drops. I just gotta catch the ball. That's the main thing."
TeSlaa, on the other hand, has been a decent downfield target for the Lions this season. On 17 targets, he has nine receptions for 187 yards, with an average of 20.8 yards per catch - that's good for third in the league right now. The Lions might start to design more play-calling for TeSlaa if Williams' drops continue to persist. Against a weaker Arizona pass-defense, the Lions should look to experiment with this.
4. Will the Lions' run-blocking improve ahead of Cade Mays' return?
Detroit is likely clamoring to get Jahmyr Gibbs running behind Cade Mays this season, with the Lions' rushing success rate quite low considering they have Gibbs in tow. Mays is likely to immediately be the teams' best run-blocking lineman once he's back in Week 7 against the Green Bay Packers, which should help Gibbs take full advantage of Green Bay's 25th-ranked run stop win rate.
Ahead of that time, though, it's important for Detroit to show they can improve with their run blocking without Mays. It feels like their biggest weakness on that front is coming from rookie tackle Blake Miller, and potentially due to some schematic things the line has to work out with new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
Improving on this front without Mays is important to ensure his transition is as smooth as possible.
5. Should we be worried about Detroit's return unit?
The Lions' special teams unit has been fine so far this year, but you get the feeling that they could be doing a better job on returns. Neither Jacob Saylors or Tom Kennedy have popped much as returners, but there are many other potential solutions for them on that front outside of Sione Vaki. Vaki, though, has slowly but surely become a consistent piece of the teams' offense at RB2.
They're currently averaging just 11.5 yards per punt return, but are finding more success on kickoffs with an average of 25.1 yards per return.
It's such a small issue with the roster, but one that could help the along with faster starts on offense. A great game from this unit in Week 5 could help create a big advantage for the Lions.
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